Jumanji: Movie Review

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With excellent contributions from Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and more, Jumanji is a wild thrill-ride full of laughs and love along the way.

Jumanji: welcome to the jungle is a reboot of the 1995 classic that starred Robin Williams. The newest installment absolutely shattered its predecessor in terms of sales and mostly positive reviews worldwide.

What makes this film so entertaining for older and younger viewers alike is the relate-ability factor throughout much of the film. Although the setting most certainly does not resonate with anyone, due to the main characters being trapped inside of a video game, the concepts presented within the film provide something that hits home with almost every viewer. Concepts such as forbidden love, struggles with acceptance, inner-desires for adventure and thrill, etc.

In addition to the relate-ability factor, the hysterical irony made this movie for me. In the beginning of the film, viewers see a group of four high school kids who all have received detention. Each teenager is supposed to represent basic stereotypes that are present within every high school. There is the typical jock, the nerd, the misunderstood girl, and the popular girl that is beautiful.

When all four are unexpectedly transported into the game, they all become their worst fears or their desires. For example, the nerd becomes the jacked Dwayne Johnson, and the popular girl becomes Jack Black…certainly an unwelcome change for the latter.

All four characters chemistry on screen is very noticeable, especially between Johnson and Hart. Throughout the duration of the film, I did not feel any unintentional awkwardness between the characters and everything felt as if it moved at a perfect pace.

Jumaji attempts to appeal to all audiences, which is usually a recipe for disaster in most films, however the movie passes with flying colors.

The film does not try and be anything it is not designed to be, it’s simple, yet effective. Far too often we see films that try too hard to provide a message or become something else entirely than what it should, but with Jumanji everything stays on pace without being too predictable.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a simple, fun, and thrilling movie to stimulate their sense of adventure.